Week 5 TE Rankings: Darren Waller is Back Among Freedman's Favorites

It's Week 5.

That means we're almost a quarter of the way through the NFL regular season.

Time flies. Time lies. Time dies.

In the immortal words of Scott Stapp: "No time for mourning, ain't got no time."

Let's get into the Week 5 RB edition of Freedman's Favorites, where I highlight guys I'm upgrading because of:

Favorable betting factors and situational spots
Advantageous defensive matchups (perhaps aided by injury)
Increased usage expectations (again, maybe aided by injury)

For process notes regarding this series, my weekly rankings and my weekly projections, see the end of this piece. Also, check out the rest of my favorite Week 5 fantasy football plays.

To see our full rankings and projections, use the promo code FREEDMAN for 20% off the FantasyLife+ package.

Week 5 Tight End Rankings

Rank	TE	Team	Opp
1	Trey McBride	ARI	TEN
2	Tyler Warren	IND	LV
3	Brock Bowers	LV	IND
4	Jake Ferguson	DAL	NYJ
5	Hunter Henry	NE	BUF
6	Sam LaPorta	DET	CIN
7	Juwan Johnson	NO	NYG
8	Dalton Kincaid	BUF	NE
9	Zach Ertz	WAS	LAC
10	Travis Kelce	KC	JAC
11	T.J. Hockenson	MIN	CLE
12	Mark Andrews	BAL	HOU

Darren Waller Is on the Week 5 TE1 Borderline

Long gone are the days of Darren Waller putting up back-to-back 1,110-yard receiving seasons (2019-20).

He was a shell of himself in 2021-23 (535 yards receiving per year). He was out of the sport entirely in 2024. And the 33-year-old Waller missed Weeks 1-3 with the most geriatric-sounding injury ever (hip).

But on Monday Night Football in Week 4, he made his triumphant return with 3-27-2 receiving.

His target volume wasn't great (four targets), but he was still No. 3 on the team (behind only WRs Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle), and when one considers that this was an "ease back in" game for him (he played just 16 snaps), the picture changes: With more playing time, Waller could be a significant target earner.

And I expect him to get more playing time and targets now that Hill (knee, IR) is out.

As for the matchup, it couldn't be better: The Panthers are No. 32 in defensive pass DVOA against TEs (59.5%, per FTN).

Tommy Tremble Is a Desperado Week 5 Streamer

No. 1 TE Ja'Tavion Sanders (ankle) was out last week, and I'm skeptical that he'll return to action now against the Dolphins given that he didn't practice at all in Week 4 before being declared out on Friday.

On top of that, WR Xavier Legette (hamstring) has neither practiced nor played over the past two weeks, and WR David Moore (elbow) exited last week early with an injury.

As a result, veteran Tommy Tremble was No. 1 on the team (with WR Tetairoa McMillan) with eight targets, which he leveraged into 5-42-1 receiving.

Is that kind of usage and production sustainable into Week 5?

Maybe.

Since Sanders entered the league, Tremble has played one other full game without him: Week 13 last year. The result: 5-77-0 receiving on eight targets with a 100% snap rate.

Tremble isn't a lock for 8+ targets, but he has a clear path to production, and the Dolphins are No. 1 in most fantasy points allowed to TEs (14.2).

I'm sick enough to where I might even be willing to use Tremble this week in Guillotine Leagues™️.

The Hot Route

Jake Ferguson (Cowboys) at Jets: Ferguson finally ended his TD drought last week, and for the season he has an obscene 39 targets, which he has converted into a position-best 34 receptions with 223 yards receiving. Without No. 1 WR CeeDee Lamb (ankle), I expect Ferguson to continue to earn targets at a high rate.

Mason Taylor (Jets) at Cowboys: Taylor had a modest first two weeks in the NFL (2-25-0 receiving, three targets), but since then the second-round rookie has piled up 13 targets as the No. 2 pass catcher for the team, and the Cowboys could be without FS Malik Hooker (toe). Although this game has a consensus total of 47.5, the over is a five-star bet in our Fantasy Life Game Model.

Oronde Gadsden (Chargers) vs. Commanders: Veteran TE Will Dissly (knee) has neither practiced nor played for the past two weeks, so I doubt he'll return for Week 5. In his absence, the rookie Gadsden has 7-62-0 receiving on 10 targets. The Commanders are No. 31 in defensive pass DVOA against TEs (54.4%), and SS Will Harris (leg, IR) is out.

Notes

Byes: This week, the Falcons, Bears, Packers and Steelers are on bye.

Injuries: Since I write Freedman's Favorites on Tuesday, I have incomplete injury information. After I submit this article, any updated thoughts I have regarding injuries will manifest in my rankings and projections. For our quick fantasy thoughts every day, subscribe to the Fantasy Life newsletter.

Schedule: This season, I have the following rankings and projections schedule.

Tue AM: Publish rankings and projections
Thu AM: Refresh rankings and projections
Thu PM: Make necessary TNF rankings changes
Sat PM: Update rankings and projections
Sun AM: Revise rankings
Sun PM: Finalize rankings based on news prior to 1 p.m. ET kickoff

Accuracy: I'm a six-time top-20 ranker in accuracy and a long-time profitable player prop better.

Scoring: All fantasy points are half-PPR scoring unless otherwise stated.

Cohesion: My positional breakdowns are published separately, but I think of them as comprising one whole, so check out the rest of my favorite Week 5 fantasy football plays (via my Fantasy Life author page).

Abbreviations: Here are some abbreviations I might have used in the piece.

Fantasy Points per Game (FPPG)
Against the Spread (ATS)
Over/Under (O/U)
Team Total (TT)
Moneyline (ML)
Return on Investment (ROI)
Adjusted Yards per Attempt (AY/A)
Expected Points Added (EPA)
Success Rate (SR)
Completion Percentage Over Expected (CPOE)
Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA)
AirYAC (Air Yards + Yards After Catch)
Weighted Opportunity Rating (WOPR)
Average Depth of Target (aDOT)
Short Down and Distance (SDD)
Long Down and Distance (LDD)